Devildogs
by CapAleran2
Summary: An elite division of the Marines known as Devildog has been assigned a dangerous mission. Gajeel with his team of five must brave enemy lines to retrieve their objective - an individual who isn't going to follow them willingly. Marines SOCOM unit, reporting for active duty. [Slow updates, on hiatus until Fighting Redfox is complete]
1. Chapter 1

**AN** : Been thinking of writing another story while in the middle of Fighting Redfox for a few days now, and this is just another -most likely shorter story- in addition to my other GaLe one. I'm making most of this up to be able to combine it into Fairy Tail form. My main story, Fighting Redfox, will take priority over this one.

 **Storyline** : An elite division of the Marines known as Devildog has been assigned a dangerous mission. Gajeel with his team of five must brave enemy lines to retrieve their objective - an individual who isn't going to follow them willingly. Marines G. Redfox, L. Dreyar, G. Fullbuster, N. Dragneel, S. Eucliffe, and R. Cheney, SOCOM unit, reporting for active duty.

Possible GaLe, haven't decided yet, but there's some hints

*Rated Mature - There is _intense_ language and violence. Reader discretion is strongly advised.

*I do not own any of the pictures.

*I do not own any of FairyTail - that's all Hiro Mashima.

 **Uh, if you don't like abusive language, don't even read further.***

* * *

 **Devildogs**

by CapAleran2

Chapter I

"You call yourself a Marine, fuck nut?!" The instructor shoved his face mere inches from Gajeel's, shouting in his ear as loudly as he could. He pointed to the ground and got even closer as he shouted, "My granny can do better than your shit job, and she's dead!"

Gajeel stared straight ahead as he dragged himself through the mud under a barbed wire barrier. His olive colored shirt was thoroughly soaked with the brown slosh. He couldn't care if his face was covered in it either, he would be considered a pink pansy if he didn't get his face in it.

The instructor back away from him and addressed the whole group. "Move it! Move your asses, now! If you were any slower, you'd all be fucking dead where you lay!"

He made it to the end of the row and shot up to his feet as quickly as the mud and wire allowed. He sprinted for the tall wooden wall several yards away. When he reached it, he jumped and grabbed the thick rope that dangled from the top. He could hear the men behind him, and moments later, another man had done the same thing.

Using only his arms as he was supposed to, Gajeel pulled himself up and over the top, dropping down to the platform on the other side. There as a short drop after that one, and sixty yards away on flat ground, was the end of the course.

He quickly looked up above him and saw Laxus dropping over the tall wall. As soon as the other man's feet landed on the shorter platform, Gajeel lept from it, hitting the ground with a thud and touching the grass with his hands. He shot up, his thick legs driving him forward as the beginning of his long sprint began.

Right behind him Laxus sprang to a run, his body in as top condition as Gajeel's. Both men ate up the ground as their arms pumped at their sides. They glanced at each other and focused on the end, where the rest of them were waiting. Gajeel dug and pushed himself, his legs burning with the sustained effort throughout the long course. Sprinting to the finish after straining muscles for several minutes straight beforehand was pure torture for anyone.

Laxus squinted and he dug further, willing his legs to move faster against the pain. He came up even with Gajeel, matching him stride for stride with only fifteen yards to go, they were both on the brink of breaking down. Sweat and mud literally poured from them.

Both Marines crossed the line, essentially a spray painted line in the grass. They could hear their fellow Marines call out to them as they laughed, and they ran at a slower pace until they came to an eventual walk. They circled back to the group, panting and gripping their sides.

Grey tossed a water bottle to Gajeel as he approached, holding up a stopwatch. "Good time. Still didn't beat Laxus."

"Fuck!" Gajeel gave a short growling shout, closing his eyes with a grimace.

Laxus laughed as he glanced towards him, squeezing a water bottle into his mouth. He swallowed the water and then squeezed it again, only to spit out the second mouthful.

More Marines that had been behind them ran across the line. They received water from their teammates as well. Another instructor marched over to them, his face scowling. "You have time to stand around checking your dresses for rips?! Move it!"

The men hurriedly gathered their gear and started to jog to their starting positions, clear around at the other end of the course. Grey led them down the well worn path, his identical olive drab attire was crusty with drying mud. Bits of it broke off with his quick steps. Gajeel and Laxus trailed behind him, starting to recover from their long haul. They approached the larger group.

Natsu turned around from facing the waiting men, his muscular arms crossed over his chest. He saw their dirty clothing and chuckled. "Gajeel didn't beat Laxus then. Sting owes me."

Grey gave a short laugh before Gajeel came to a halt near them, holding his water bottle and wearing a scowl. "You Jackoff bet on the results?"

"No," Natsu gave him a straight face. "It's not betting when you already know who'll win."

That earned a darker scowl from Gajeel. Laxus smirked and knocked Natsu's elbow with his. "How much?"

"Hundred bucks and one of those magazines that are always out at the PX."

"The ones with Mirajane in them?" Laxus asked, his eyebrows rose. He prefered his reading material to be non standard issue if he could help it.

Nastu grinned. "Yep. They've added some new girls."

"Sweet. I wanna borrow that when you're done."

Gajeel pushed past them, ignoring their gloating and drooling over the thought of barely clothed women. He just wanted a shower and to sit down. His legs felt like jello from the extensive exercise. And then when he felt normal, he'd feel like doing the same thing. "If you two are done, we gotta head back and clean up before chow. Fernandes requested us in his office at 1930 hours."

They went back to their building to grab their clean changes of clothes, washed up at the shower house, and headed for chow hall for dinner, which had begun a few minutes before they arrived. Each of them walked through the line and grabbed whatever they thought looked good, and found themselves a table.

They four of them found Sting and Rogue. The two had just sat down, a tray with food in front of them. The blond haired man looked expectantly up at his friends. Seeing Natsu's expression, he frowned and turned his blue eyes to Gajeel, stating harshly. "You fuck tard."

"What?" He asked defensively as he took a seat across from him.

Grey and Laxus sat on either side of him, with Natsu taking the open seat beside Sting. They all snickered at the exchange, knowing Sting knew Gajeel had lost him the bet.

"You told me you could beat him this time, said you finally got the course down in under seven minutes." Sting said, then took a bite of his sandwich. "I put down a crisp Franklin on you!"

"I did." Gajeel grumbled, opening his bottled soda. He was about to take a sip and then slammmed the bottle back down on the table, growling. "You know what, I don't see you busting your ass to get better. It's been awhile since the last deployment."

Sting snorted. "I don't need to." He flexed his right arm, and the muscles tightened against the snug fit of his short sleeve t shirt.

"Grey can show you up." Natsu said with his mouth full, holding his hand out towards Sting, who promptly slapped his money into his hand. He faced Sting. "Another hundred says Grey can out carry your weight in the mock field mission tomorrow."

"Are you kidding? I'm not taking that." Sting shook his head.

Leaning on the elbow resting beside his tray, Grey felt his dogtags tink against the table. He gave Natsu a look, his eyes showing no emotion. "Why do you feel the need to drag me into your shit?"

"You know how I feel now." Gajeel commented, then swallowed a mouthful of food and washed it down with his drink.

Rogue was quiet, eating his food while listening to the others with interest. He didn't speak much, but when he did, they all listened. On last deployment, the six of them were on patrol in a dusty open area close to enemy territory. Rogue voiced that something was off within their surroundings as they drove through the road, and made them all halt their progress. It turned out that Rogue had diverted an ambush attempt. Instead of driving up on a planned trap, all six of them and the rest of their small convoy engaged the hostiles right there in a firefight, exposing the enemy positions. It could have turned out worse than a few minor injuries if Rogue hadn't warned them. And they poked fun at him for his constant observations.

When they finished their dinner, they headed for the large building where all the higher ups had their offices. They walked in and told the reception they were expected, and they were told to go ahead and wait in his office.

Natsu stood by the book shelf that loosely held a bunch of texts involving military history and war tactics. He touched the bookend in the shape of the Marine emblem, and his fingers then wandered to the figurine next to it.

"Don't touch anything, dumbass." Laxus chided from his seat in front of the large oak desk.

Grey looked out the window, watching the personnel go about their business. He knocked his elbow on Sting's arm to get his attention, grinning and pointing outside to a group of enlisted females on a PT run. Gajeel sat back in the other chair next to Laxus, while Rogue stood alone at the back.

They waited for about five minutes before the door abruptly swung open. All six men immediately stiffened into attention, standing straight with their arms at their sides. Laxus and Gajeel were a bit slow, as they had been seated when the Chief Warrant Officer walked in.

Fernandes wore the dull tan button up shirt issued by the Marines, the colored insignias of rank attached to the left side of the buttons. He rounded to his desk and without looking up, said, "At ease, gentlemen."

The six of them relaxed to fall in around the desk in a line. They were all curious as to why they were called into an office. To their knowledge, they hadn't done anything to bring about unnecessary attention to themselves. Silence followed the Officer's words, and he took his time preparing what to say.

He brought his gaze up to them. "I brought you in here for a special assignment. It's a delicate situation, and the top brass wanted only the most capable men at the helm."

The six of them stayed expressionless as he spoke, each of them trained to keep their excitement -whatever it may be- under wraps. The confidence radiated from all of the solid, tested Marines.

Fernandes continued, pointing to the map he spread out on the desk. The others bent around to look down at it.

"There's a makeshift hospital out on the outskirts of the desert, here. One of the Sergeant's daughter is running it, but when its sister site on this side," He moved his finger a ways to the left, "evacuated due to a mortar explosion on half its wing, she issued an evac of the able bodied patients, but refused to abandon the ones in critical care. The area is thick with hostiles, and the remaining hospital is the next target."

"Permission to speak, sir?" Grey spoke up.

Fernandes nodded sharply. "Granted."

"They evacuated it, so wouldn't our birds have gotten them out?" Grey asked, referring to the large transport helicopters.

"Two were on their final passes back to the site, and were shot down with anticraft missiles. We lost radio contact with the crews."

The six of them were silent. It was a bad day when two of their CH-53E choppers went down from enemy fire. All men present knew the risks of flying in hostile airspace. They had done it before. And would again if it meant to rescue their fellow Marines, and the occasional civilian. The risks came with the job, but no one wanted to hear that their airborn transports had been terminated.

"Search and rescue of their crew?" Laxus asked.

"As we speak." Fernandes answered. "Hostiles know the easiest and most direct way for us to collect the rest of them is from above. They've effectively shut down the airways in the vicinity. The only viable option is ground ops. The Sergeant's daughter is the top priority here. Permission to evac the remaining patients is granted, but it's at-will. Use your best judgement, but do not -I repeat- do not compromise the mission. No matter how your objective reacts. Your mission is to bring her home." He paused and handed Gajeel the mission information file.

"Pack up, men. You leave in less than two hours."

They understood at that point. The Chief Warrant Officer was telling them they were now deployed for a tactical assignment.

* * *

 **AN** : WILL add onto this shortly. This is probably going to be a shorter story than Fighting Redfox, dunno yet.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN** : Been thinking of writing another story while in the middle of Fighting Redfox for a few days now, and this is just another -most likely shorter story- in addition to my other GaLe one. I'm making most of this up to be able to combine it into Fairy Tail form. My main story, Fighting Redfox, will take priority over this one.

 **Storyline** : An elite division of the Marines known as Devildog has been assigned a dangerous mission. Gajeel with his team of five must brave enemy lines to retrieve their objective - an individual who isn't going to follow them willingly. Marines G. Redfox, L. Dreyar, G. Fullbuster, N. Dragneel, S. Eucliffe, and R. Cheney, SOCOM unit, reporting for active duty.

*Rated Mature - There is _intense_ language and violence. Reader discretion is strongly advised.

*I do not own any of the pictures.

*I do not own any of FairyTail - that's all Hiro Mashima.

* * *

 **AN** : Uh, if you don't like abusive language, don't even read further lol there's also violence below.

Chapter II

There was no breeze in the night except from the spinning rotors atop the UH-1Y helicopter, the lights on the tail and cockpit blinking in a slow rhythm. The long aircraft sat on the ground pad, its twin engines purring as it waited for them to load. In full gear, Gajeel climbed into it and dropped his pack by one of the front seats, clicking the strap in place. He turned and held out a gloved hand to his fellow man, helping Laxus up.

The pilot was already strapped into the cockpit seat, his head leaning back against the seat. His co-pilot drank from a disposable coffee cup. The crew chief in the seat piggy backed behind the co-pilot looked at Gajeel, taking off his headset to speak to him. "Your boys ready?"

Gajeel glanced to his left, watching the rest of them line up to enter the aircraft. "About." He gestured to the chief's pilots. "Are yours?"

He looked over his shoulder and grinned. "About."

Laxus sat beside Gajeel's spot, making room for Grey on his left. The other three sat on the other side across from them. All strapped their packs in with the buckles, and held their AR-15s close, the deadly end pointed down at the _Yankee's_ bottom floorboard.

They were all set. Their kevlar helmets were strapped onto their heads, their body armor snug against their bodies under their desert combat uniforms. All gave their ready, and Gajeel put on the headset to talk to the cockpit crew over the loud din of the engines.

"Alright, let's haul." He said as he held it to position the tiny microphone over his mouth.

The crew chief nodded. "Copy that. _Yankee1_ , cleared for take off."

The pilot held the joysticks in both hands that operated the massive helicopter and gradually pulled back on it. Its engines whined and grew louder, the rotors immediately spinning faster to lift the craft from the ground.

Several seconds of suspension nearly thirty feet in the air until Grey spoke up, yelling to be heard over the roar of the engines. "Wait, did anyone grab extra trash bags?"

Gajeel snapped his head around to look at him. "What?"

Grey pointed to Natsu across from him. The man sat back in his seat, his arm held against his torso.

"Shit," Gajeel said to himself.

"I'm good. I'm… good." Natsu rasped through a small belch. Even in the dim lights in the cargo hold, his face looked flushed.

He was the only man to get motion sickness. It made certain areas of missions slightly difficult, mainly arriving and departing from rendezvous checkpoints. Natsu was a superb Marine, always performing to his utmost abilities. He had saved many of their asses more than once when it mattered. His motion sickness was just something they had to deal with temporarily.

"Just don't blow chunks on my pack," Grey groaned and clutched his rifle closer to his chest. His boot tried to move his pack away from the front of his chair. "I don't want to smell like vomit like last time. The incessant heat makes it worse."

Natsu pursed his lips and groaned. Sting scooted closer to Rogue, away from Natsu. He rolled his eyes.

"What's our ETA?" Gajeel asked into the headset.

The pilot chuckled, knowing this happened every time he flew for Gajeel's team. "Rendezvous in T minus fifty-three minutes. I'm gonna get ya there as soon as I can."

Gajeel turned to Natsu. "Fifty-three minutes."

He was met with another moan, and the man turned to his right and emptied his stomach into a strategically placed paper sack. Laxus leaned forward and pulled the rolled up magazine out of Natsu's pack's front pocket.

The white haired woman on the cover was skimpily clad in a bikini top that barely covered her large breasts. The picture cut at the lower half of her hips before it showed any exclusive parts of her, a large amount of bare skin showed on the side of her hip that tilted up, and it was clear that the woman wore no bottoms.

"Mm, one day…" Laxus grunted as he stared at the magazine.

Grey looked over at the cover. "Dude, that's Mirajane? She's fuckin' hot."

"Damn right. One of the sexiest women of the year." Laxus smirked. He chomped at the gum in his mouth and opened the cover to look through it.

Sting snorted. "Please. That Heartfilia chick is better."

Gajeel laughed and stared out the open door. They were well above the ground. The terrain slowly flattened into desert as they moved in the air towards their objective. He read in the file that the hospital was for anyone who needed the care, both friendlies or enemy casualties intermingled within it. He had nothing against it. It was a brave, noble thing to do, to care for your enemies. They were all people who just had differences in ideals.

They had left their military base, which was a few hours on the ground from the where the desert began, and the location of their drop off was three miles west of the hospital. They couldn't fly in right over it, as it was occupied territory. It would have indeed been easiest, but they were out options.

What was so special about the Sergeant's daughter, other than the obvious fact that she was military? They made sure they took care of their own, but there had to be something else that they didn't know. Something above their paygrade that couldn't be disclosed. The thought made Gajeel frown as he held onto the handle above his head.

The crew chief turned to look into the cockpit. The computer in the middle of the console showed the altitude of their aircraft, and a few glowing buttons indicated they were engaged in the 'on' position. The view of the immense desert at night was the only thing in sight. Several more minutes ticked by, and soon a road -hardly distinguished at first- ran up the sand and generally rough, rocky terrain. The pilot's voice broke the radio silence.

"Control, this is _Yankee1_. We have rendezvous coordinates in sight."

"Roger, _Yankee1_. Proceed with caution." The voice from command control responded into the headsets.

Gajeel smiled. He itched to get out of this bird and do what he has trained to do. He picked up his rifle and brought it to his chest, turning to the five behind him. "Alright, look alive back there."

Laxus rolled up the magazine and stuffed it into his clothing from the top near his neck. He grabbed his AR and readied himself. Grey did the same and looked across at the others. Sting was already alert, and Rogue appeared calm as usual. Hunched over with his elbows on his knees, Natsu groaned and burped.

The UH-1Y copter lowered towards the ground. Sand kicked up in a twirling cloud from the spinning rotors above the aircraft, and the crew chief turned to the six men. "Here's where we drop you off."

Gajeel took the headset off and handed it to him, replacing it with his own helmet. He strapped it on and made sure the chinstrap was snug against his face. He turned to the rest of them. "Nights on!"

His pulled down the night vision goggles from the helmet and secured to his face as his group did the same, readying themselves for the flying sand and dark of the night. Instantly, the view from the goggles turned a green color as the infrared light lit up the blackness. With the helicopter hovering a few feet from the ground, he turned to the crew chief. "Catch ya on the flip side."

"Oorah." Gajeel said loudly above the noise.

With his pack on his back, he jumped out of the side door, and the rest of the men followed suit. Rogue grabbed Natsu's arm and dragged him out, letting him hit the sand in a heap so the pilot could take off knowing the cargo was out. It took off with a loud whine of the engines, circling up and around, back the way it had come.

For the exception of Natsu, who was still on the ground, the men raised their ARs to check their surroundings, looking through the top scope to scan the horizon. The sand rolled out for miles in all directions, and huge rocks of the same sandy color rose to their east. The road extended through them.

"We're good." Rogue voiced as his eyes scanned the last of the rocky terrain. He lowered his rifle and held out a hand at Natsu.

The earlier sick man stood up and straightened. He took a tighter grip on his rifle. "So am I."

"This place is bland." Laxus commented with a frown as he walked a few steps towards the rocks.

Grey snorted, turning his head with the goggles. "You've been here before."

"Not this exact place. This is depressing."

Gajeel checked the coordinates one more time and pulled out a map. He quickly ran a finger from where it said they were to the right of it before folding it. Stuffing it into his pocket, he started after Laxus. "We head east, and the hospital should be in the middle of an abandoned town about three miles from here."

"Should be?" Sting asked, sounding as though he doubted Gajeel. He bumped Rogue in the chest with his pack as he back up to turn around.

"Just shut the fuck up and walk." Gajeel grumbled and held up his rifle. He began to lead them down the road. The AR-15 in his gloved hands was aimed in front of him. "Watch for bogeys."

His tan boots inadvertently kicked at the loose, larger pebbles, the small sounds echoing through the large rocks as he moved. The others boots did the same. Each one of them alert for other life that may pose a threat. Moving at a fast pace, the six of them traversed the desert in the night. Many stars gave the sky a lighter appearance, and the crested moon seemed larger than when they were at their base.

An hour passed, and the small group saw lights ahead. It was a twinkling, but lights nonetheless. Gajeel, a few paces ahead of the rest, slowed to a halt and held up his closed fist, signaling for the ones behind him to stop as well.

They kept their mouths shut, intent and focused on their job. One wrong move and they could mess it up, exposing themselves to hidden dangers or the like. Laxus moved his gum into his cheek so he could hear better and keep alert. Grey spat towards the ground and waited with the rest of them.

It was silent. The only sounds were from the six of them. It was sand and rocks all the way around them, it felt like being inside an hourglass. Gajeel sniffled and chewed on his check. He couldn't put a finger on it, but something was off.

Rogue felt it too. The black haired man snapped his head to the side, watching. "Something doesn't feel right. There's eyes on us."

"Great. Shoulda known we'd get stopped before we got there." Grey began with a slight edge to his voice.

They formed a circle, their rifles up cocked and locked. No one said anything as they patiently waited for whatever it was to reveal its hidden position. Sting moved forward very slowly, sweeping his aim around and looking through the crosshairs on his scope. "I don't see anything…"

Laxus sucked in a breath and quickly brought his gun up, popping off a few rounds. The explosion of sound in the silence echoed in the vast emptiness. His ears rung with the sudden noise. Five bodies hit the ground the instant the first round shot from the semi auto's barrel.

"The fuck, Dreyar!" Gajeel hissed, his face glanced up from the rough sand. He whipped around and saw what Laxus shot at. A dark shape darted from one rock to another, several yards to their left. Gajeel tensed, his mind working from past experiences to figure out how to go about it. He lay prone on the hard ground, flipping the small legs down on the front end of his gun to prop it up so he could aim easier.

He steadied his breathing as he waited for more movement. "What you guys got?"

Natsu looked through his scope, keeping silent as he scanned the surroundings. Sting took a deep, slow breath, then said in a low voice. "I got eyes on a dark shape moving to the east."

Rogue spoke up. "Three on our six."

Grey shook his head. "I got nothing. I can't tell how many until they fire back."

"Did you hit 'im?" Grey asked Laxus, raising his head slightly.

Shots rang out, and quick flits of popping noises echoed around them. Grey ducked behind his scope and squeezed the trigger and six shots popped the air as he aimed at a dark form in the shape of a person exposed itself from behind a rock. A moment later, he saw through the scope the dark mass drop to the ground in a heap.

"One down to our right." He grunted.

Gajeel acknowledged the statement and concentrated on his side of the circle. Their targets he now knew were humans, smart enough to scramble for cover when the firearms shot off rounds only to return fire. They were on a time limit, and Gajeel wanted to get to the hospital as soon as was humanly possible.

They were Marines, dammit. Devildogs. They had this.

"This is fucking bullshit." He growled suddenly, he scooted up and dug his elbows into the sand. Looking through his sights, he muttered, "Come on, make a move…"

As soon as he saw an open shot, he didn't hesitate. His forefinger squeezed the trigger and quick bursts of fire shot out. Laxus and Sting both had eyes on their targets, and both engaged their weapons. Rogue aimed and successfully dropped two of three in his direction before the third looked for cover. He yelled above the ringing of the firefight. "Got two!"

Laxus downed another, and waited as all return fire ceased. In the dark it was hard to tell exactly how many were firing at them, but if they didn't get all of them, if they were scouts of sorts, it wouldn't be long until more showed up. Especially if the six of them let one go.

Gajeel sucked in a breath, letting it out as he saw a target run from his hidden spot. "There you are…"

He followed him with his barrel and another few rounds made their marks. With the magnification, Gajeel saw him fall and the sand around him flew up as he hit the dirt. "Got another, left side."

He glanced to his right, to the east up the road. If they could just make it there, they'd have a little time to rest within enclosed walls. Out in the open was the last place he wanted to be.

"We have to get out of here." Sting voiced with a little edge at being shot at. He cursed and fixed the position of his scope.

"No shit." Natsu added.

Gajeel let out a quick breath. "The only thing we can do is stay here as we are or risk the run."

Sting immediately answered him. "We run."

"I'm not carrying you _and_ your pack if you get hit," Laxus harshly spat, glancing over his shoulder.

"How far is it?" Grey asked. He rested his helmet on the metal of his weapon.

Gajeel shrugged as he judged the distance between them and the lights. "The hell should I know. Maybe a half mile."

Grey sighed. "...We run. I can't lay here for much longer, I gotta take a long piss."

"I would too if I drank all of my canteen." Natsu rolled his eyes with his jab directed towards the man.

"I vote run." Rogue said. "We have to at least make contact with the Sergeant's daughter before dawn. Otherwise we'll be behind schedule."

Gajeel pursed his lips. Rogue was right as usual. If they stayed, they'd potentially risk more bogeys surrounding them. He was also hungry and his eyes burned. He wanted to get out of here without a hitch, and to do that they had to stick with the schedule. "Dammit…" He said gruffly.

There hadn't been any shots ringing in the last few minutes during their conversation, it was the perfect opportunity. "Alright, we run. No stops, keep up. On three."

On the last word, all six of them sprang up, hauling their heavy utility packs up on their backs. Gajeel thanked his past self for running every day at the asscrack of dawn for his daily run. It paid off now, as his legs worked double for the weight he carried over the hard, rocky sand of the road. He heard Laxus's steady breathing beside him and the footsteps of his fellow men behind.

Shots fired to their left. Deadly bullets ricochet off the tall rocks and hard ground. Grey held his rifle out with one hand and held the trigger down with a finger. He didn't know where his rounds would land, but he hoped at least a few of them would end the volleys flying against them.

The lights grew brighter, nearer. Gajeel could now see the walls of the barrier around the town, the narrow opening that served as a gate a welcoming sight to his red eyes. They crossed the last half of of the distance without hearing any more popping from distant weaponry.

Looking around as they neared the entrance in the wall, Gajeel saw no one and was hopeful that they'd make it in one piece. With fifteen or so more yards, a fire started burning the muscles in his legs. His lungs worked hard to get him the oxygen he needed, and he regretted the last cigarette he had smoked on the way over.

He passed through the opening, sliding to a stop and moving to the side to let the five behind pass him into safety. Sting stumbled in last. He fell forward, catching himself with his hands before toppling to the ground. Laxus let his AR hang from the strap around his shoulder and put his hands on his hips. His chest heaved from the long sprint.

"Everyone good?" Gajeel asked, looking from one to the other. His own rifle hung from his shoulder.

Natsu had his canteen at his lips and Rogue paced in a small circle while he caught his breath. Gajeel gave them another moment longer before he had them gather and head in the direction of the hospital, according to the map he held.

The buildings were small and made of white brick, some with open, glass-less windows. Others had broken window panes. They held up their guns, cautiously walking through the empty streets. The whole place felt deserted. The hospitals had been evacuated. Wouldn't the towns surrounding them have been also?

Sting glanced to his right, hearing a noise but seeing nothing. Rounding the corner of a street, Laxus bumped into a halted Gajeel. Ahead was a large building, the only one around with lights lit up in the windows. Alert with rifles up, they checked the perimeter of the hospital before Gajeel rasped his knuckles against the door.

The soft murmurs of voices vanished. He waited for someone to open the door, but the door never opened. "United States Marines, open up!"

A few murmurs were heard, and then a distinct female voice spoke. It sounded as though it was right next to the entrance. "How do I know you're who you say you are? How many of you are there?"

Gajeel snorted. The woman's voice was clear and loud, and although there was a ring of authority with it, there was a hesitant fear. Her high pitched, girly voice oddly struck him.

"Six. Trust me, we are who we say we are. Open the door before I break it down." He firmly said. If this woman didn't do as he said…

He was poised to break through until he heard the locks on the door slide back. Slowly the door opened to reveal two women. The one who opened the door stood aside to let them in. The blue haired woman behind her backed into a small desk at the sight of the tall, muscular men striding cautiously over the threshold. A blanket was wrapped around her body, and she held the ends together in front of her, away from her torso.

Rogue pushed a makeshift curtain away from the window and peered out.

"What a dump…" Natsu whispered to himself as he gazed around the front room.

Grey swiftly bumped his arm with his fist, glaring at his words.

The front room was run down and had enough room for a handful of large desks with chairs. A curtain divided the rooms. Beyond that, Gajeel had no clue. He imagined beds full of sick people. How sick, he didn't know. Sick enough to have to stay behind while the rest were evacuated out.

"Levy McGarden? Sergeant McGarden's daughter?" He asked, holding his AR pointed down at the floor.

"Who is asking?" The woman who opened the door responded. Hers was definitely not the voice he had heard through the door. Her brown hair was pulled back into a hasty tail.

He stared at her, giving her a flat look. He said slowly, enunciating every word. "United States Marines. I thought it was obvious."

Both women stared at them, their eyes noticing the large rifles they all held. The blue haired woman swallowed before she spoke. "Why are you here?"

Gajeel turned to face her. Now that was the voice. And the woman it came from was prettier than he imagined. Her hair was held back with a small scar that stood out from her vibrant hair. He smirked. "Levy McGarden, I assume."

She looked at the other men before nodding, her gaze returning to the rough, red eyes of the man who was the apparent leader.

"We're here to take you back to the States."

"What if I don't want to go?" She raised her chin and looked the towering man right in the eyes.

Gajeel pursed his lips and breathed. "You're going. We didn't get shot at out there for nothing."

She stood from leaning on the desk, still holding the blanket over herself. "I'll go back to the States when everyone else has."

"That can be arranged."

"Really." She scowled. "That's what they said last time. And I'm still here."

Gajeel shifted his weight and frowned. She really wasn't going to come easily. He took a step forward and reached out to grab her upper arm.

She moved away and the scowl on her face deepened. "Don't touch me."

"Don't fight me." He countered. "We'll get everyone out. As soon as you come with me."

"No." Her brown eyes shot daggers at him.

A voice from the other side of the room behind the curtain called her name. A young girl appeared around it, holding up a soiled blanket. "There are no more clean blankets left. We need to do the rest of the laundry."

She gasped when she saw the six large men. A hand went to her chest, and her widened eyes quickly moved from them to Levy.

Gajeel watched impatiently as the blue haired girl reacted. "That's alright, we'll get them washed. You can use mine."

She unwrapped her form, and as she moved to hand the brown blanket to the girl, Gajeel's eyes widened in surprised shock. What the _hell_? The girl took the material back to a patient with one last glance to the men who had just arrived.

The brown haired woman shuffled towards Levy, her hands reaching out to help her sit down by the desk, but they were swatted away. The other woman frowned. "Miss Levy, let me help."

The proud blue haired woman that Gajeel stared at shook her head, causing her whisps of feathery hair to float. "No, stop it. I'm fine. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

She placed a small hand on her round stomach which rounded out under the yellow maternity shirt, and sat on the edge of the chair. Her pregnant belly settled upon her thighs, causing her legs to spread to make room for the unborn baby inside. She took a deep breath and looked up at the men.

All six stared at her with surprised expressions. This wasn't in the mission Intel.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN** : Been thinking of writing another story while in the middle of Fighting Redfox for a few days now, and this is just another -most likely shorter story- in addition to my other GaLe one. I'm making most of this up to be able to combine it into Fairy Tail form. My main story, Fighting Redfox, will take priority over this one.

 **Storyline** : An elite division of the Marines known as Devildog has been assigned a dangerous mission. Gajeel with his team of five must brave enemy lines to retrieve their objective - an individual who isn't going to follow them willingly. Marines G. Redfox, L. Dreyar, G. Fullbuster, N. Dragneel, S. Eucliffe, and R. Cheney, SOCOM unit, reporting for active duty.

*Rated Mature - There is intense language and violence. Reader discretion is strongly advised.

*I do not own any of the pictures.

*I do not own any of FairyTail - that's all Hiro Mashima.

* * *

 **AN** : Uh, if you don't like abusive language, don't even read further lol

Chapter III

No one said anything as Levy took a sip of water from a water bottle she had just unsealed. Her hand rubbed the side of her stomach as she drank, tenderly feeling where the baby inside pressed against her. Laxus just stared at the bluenette, and Grey and Rogue looked at each other before turning their gaze back to her.

"The fuck is this?" Gajeel spat out in a growl. He glanced between Levy and the other woman with a deepening scowl. This was not in the intel. This complicated things. Dramatically.

"What's it look like? I'm pregnant." Levy retorted. She pursed her lips and glared at him.

"That is obvious," Rogue stepped forward. Although he was the youngest member of the team, he was one for defusing a situation before it escalated further. He was exceptionally good at it. "I think Gajeel is just surprised to find our objective is with child. In fact, I think we all are."

Her brown eyes shifted to the man closest to her. The younger one mentioned the man's name was Gajeel. She saw their leader's red eyes intent on her.

"How far along?" Gajeel snapped.

She looked to the woman standing beside her, who gave her head a shake.

"Don't look at her, look at me. How far along are you?" Gajeel huffed in frustration. He was tiring of her attitude. He and his men were tired, no doubt as hungry, and as soon as she cooperated with them, the sooner they'd all get a chance to eat and sleep.

The pregnant woman turned to him, though her gazed shifted to the rifle in his grasp. "I… just hit the eight month mark."

The men shifted at her words. The only thing to move on Natsu was his eyes when he glanced to Sting. The blonde man closed his blue ones as Grey snapped his mouth shut from falling slightly open. Gajeel's eyes widened. "Eight months!? Why the ever-loving fuck didn't you leave with the evacs?!"

"I can't leave those people here to die! They're in my care!" Levy cried, leaning slightly forward and pointing to the curtain several feet to her left. Her hand moved to the underside of her round belly. She leaned back and took a deep breath from the effort to yell back at the large man.

The young girl appeared from behind the curtain. Her dark blue hair was pulled back into a tail and her eyes looked tired. She appeared to be a teenager. She hurried to Levy with a towel in her hands, trying her best to ignore the six men and the yelling that had occurred. "Miss Levy, I can't bring down this fever…"

Levy turned her full attention to her. "What's the temperature, Wendy?"

"103.1."

"Is it the little one?"

The girl nodded weakly.

She blew out a short breath. "Have you given her the dosage of acetaminophen?"

"Yes, a few hours ago."

Levy pursed her lips. "Make a cold compress."

The girl left with a nod, and the blue haired woman sighed.

"What type of medical attention are you able to provide here?" Gajeel stated calmly. He tugged the strap on his weapon to lay it against his back so he could cross his arms.

With the man's tone a tolerable one, Levy responded in kind. She didn't like to raise her blood pressure in her condition. "Not much now that the other hospital is gone. That one was the main building, and most of the surgeons did their work there. Here if there was no more room."

Gajeel glanced towards the closed curtain and nodded. "How many patients are back there, and what kind of condition are they in?"

"There's only four now…" She began and her eyes met with the other woman's. The brunette frowned and bowed her head. Levy raised her hand and pointed towards the curtain divider. "But you can look for yourself if you want."

He turned to Laxus and gave a quick nod. The six of them crossed the room, leaving both women at the desk. On the other side of the curtain, there were two rows of beds. At the far end were cabinets and counters. Other medical equipment sat in the corner, ready to use whenever the need arose. They saw the blue haired girl at the side of a bed attending to a tiny toddler. The little sick girl coughed and shivered at the cold cloth on her forehead.

Across from the two, an older man lay with his legs from the thighs down encased in hard white castings. Beside him was another man with a bandage wound tightly around his upper chest. A large circle of red stained part of it. The fourth, an older boy, had all of his limbs wrapped in cloth.

Grey looked around and made a face. "She stayed here with them."

"Yea?" Natsu commented. He gave him a look. "We know that."

"I mean she stayed here with them when the birds couldn't take them."

"She must sure like her job, given that she's about ready to burst." Sting added. He stood by the counter at the far end and peered into a section of cabinet.

"What a stupid decision." Gajeel said as he watched Wendy wring out the wet cloth to replace on the child's head.

He didn't have a wife, but he respected women in general. Not very many could carry a human being inside them regardless of the inevitable pain that would follow in childbirth. But he knew babies were susceptible even while in the womb. Levy's decision to stay and not abandon her patients could be considered noble, but it wasn't just her own life at stake.

What would happen when she went into labor in this run-down dump?

Especially with bogeys outside nearby, planning to bomb the place or worse, take it over and personally kill the building's inhabitants. Levy and her baby would attract more attention if that was case.

They had to get them all out. Not just their objective.

"She did what she thought was right in the moment. We can't judge her for that." Rogue remarked quietly. He sat down on the edge of one of the vacant beds. The relief on his face was apparent as he let his weight sink into the mattress.

"Yea, but I can judge her stubbornness…" Gajeel muttered. Still deep in thought about the situation, he absently walked towards the teenager seated next to the little girl. A bowl of water sat on the bedside table for the cloth, along with a bottle of water, the medicine Levy had mentioned, and a cup of what looked to be a kind of soup.

Wendy timidly looked up. She fidgeted when his eyes flickered on her. "Hello..."

The girl's voice brought him to the present. "What's wrong with her?" He prompted.

"She's got a fever from an ear infection." She informed him with a small voice.

Gajeel glanced around the room, only seeing the other patients. "Where's her mother?"

Wendy averted her eyes before speaking. "She was killed in the explosion."

He grunted. Poor kid.

"We gotta get them out of here…" Laxus murmured to himself. His grey eyes shifted to the curtain, as if he could see through it to gaze at the two women still on its other side.

Gajeel nodded. "We will, but for now, we rest until morning. Not much we can do running on low."

The men quietly shrugged off their packs and took off their helmets, getting as comfortable as they could considering where they were. Rogue reclined on the bed where he sat and kicked off his boots. The others did the same. Grey shut the window and zipped up his trousers after having relieved himself, and made his way to one of the beds. He pulled out an MRE from his pack. Rummaging through the bag, his lips curled into a smile. "Finally got the brownie."

"I'll trade you. I got the pound cake." Sting offered, holding up his own from the contents of his MRE.

"No way. It's too hard to find the ones with brownies."

Sting frowned at his friend. "Dick."

"Who the hell took my magazine?" Natsu's voice rose. He leaned over his pack, all the zippers unzipped in his search.

"Shh. You'll wake the others." Laxus said. He thumbed a page. His mouth curved into a smile at the page's pictures.

Natsu shot a heated glance at Laxus. "Give it back, you ass."

"I will when I'm done." The blond haired man replied casually. He was laying on one of the empty mattresses, his arm behind his head and his knee holding up the magazine.

The curtain drew back and Levy walked through, making a beeline to Wendy. She ignored Gajeel completely, bumping him out of the way as if he wasn't there. He straightened and glared at her, watching as she flipped her hand on the child to feel the temperature of her neck.

The little girl coughed and winced. Her large eyes opened to gaze at Levy, and Gajeel saw that tears had welled up and were threatening to fall.

"Oh honey, I know it hurts," Levy cooed and felt her heart swell at the girl's discomfort. "But you're going to be just fine."

"It hurts…" the girl replied with a pitiful sound.

Levy smoothed back the wet hair near her forehead. She sighed as she sat on the edge of the sheeted mattress. "Do you think you can eat something? You need to."

The shook her head.

Sighing again, Levy turned to face Wendy. "Make sure she at least sips some of the soup and the water. I don't want her getting dehydrated."

"Yes, ma'am."

Taking her time, Levy stood up with a hand on her lower back. She stretched out, causing the underside of her round stomach to poke out from under her shirt.

"You should get some rest." A male voice gruffly commented.

She turned to see Gajeel leaning against the wall, staring at her with furrowed brows. A small hand fixed her shirt to lay flat. "I will later."

"When's the last time you slept?" He asked. His red eyes took in the small -and attractive- woman.

"Why?" She retorted, her eyes lingering on him.

"You look exhausted. Not to mention that you're pregnant." He snorted and uncrossed his arms. Moving towards her, he was surprised to find that she allowed him to set his large hands on her shoulders to guide her to an empty bed. "You both need sleep."

The bluenette didn't object as he gently pushed her shoulders down, and she carefully reclined against the pillow. She was tired. It had been almost twenty four hours since she had gotten any precious sleep. Maybe it would be ok to close her eyes. Her patients were resting and Wendy was taking care of the child.

"But what if-" she started to say, but the man before her cut off her words with his own.

"I got it. Just sleep." He said with a command and waited for her to settle herself onto the sheets.

"If she gets worse-"

"I said I got it." His voice was husky, and he stood over her with arms crossed.

She gave a slight nod and ran her hand over her stomach. The baby had kicked, but settled down once she was relaxed in the bed. Her eyes closed, and she was soon drifting off, glad to have the chance to rest. Pride wouldn't allow her to openly say it, but she was grateful for Gajeel and his group. Relief was something she hadn't felt in a long while.

When she awoke, the need to relieve her full bladder was the only thing on Levy's mind. Her child pressed on it, making it almost unbearable. She rose from the bed, finding a blanket had been spread across her. Rushing as quickly as her belly would allow, she found the back room where the toilet was located.

She emerged and found that Wendy was asleep in the chair the girl had been sitting in. There was a child-like laughter coming from somewhere close. The little toddler's bed was empty. Levy glanced around the room. It was still fairly dark, but the soft glow of the dawn streamed in through the windows. The three patients and five of the Marines were still asleep as well.

Walking to the curtain, she pushed her way through. Gajeel stood by one of the east facing windows, holding the toddler up in his arms. From where Levy stood, she could see the sky in the window start to change color from pale blue to orange.

"What are you doing?" She curiously asked aloud.

"Me and Thea are watching the sunrise." He said simply, turning back to the window with a glance to the contented girl pushed close to the side of his chest. Her blanket was wrapped tightly around her torso and covered her bare feet.

The little girl pointed to the sky with a smile. "It's pretty."

Levy silently moved towards them. She caught his gaze and squinted in question. Thea wasn't quite two years old, and she didn't trust very easily for a toddler. The strange new man had to have made her feel safe for her to allow -or want- him to pick her up.

"She woke up and didn't want to sleep." He murmured.

Levy still had on a confused expression, but her eyes shifted from him and the toddler to the window. While the sky held her attention, Gajeel's eyes dropped to her front and noticed how she held her stomach.

Her current condition was not disclosed to him or his team, and it had greatly pissed him off when he first set eyes on her midsection. How come no one told them? It was certainly something to pass along. Or did they not know that she was pregnant? The information given to him told him that she had been there for nearly a year, working alongside field surgeons on a medical school program. She had chosen the military medic route. It made sense; her father was a Sergeant, and her brother was deployed on his second tour.

And if his source of intel did not know of her pregnancy, that would mean…

"What?"

Gajeel sucked in a quick breath. "Nothing."

He tried not to assume, he tried not to think of it at all. It was her business. If something traumatic had happened to her, she certainly would have left the program. Then again, from what he'd gathered already, she was very stubborn. The proud woman would have toughened her way through it to the end. It was in her blood.

"The sun's about to show." He said quietly to Thea. His lips twitched slightly when the girl smiled again and shyly gripped his green shirt in her tiny hands.

Levy watched Thea's smile, finding herself mirroring it. Gajeel had successfully taken Thea's mind away from her discomfort. It was something she hadn't been able to do. Medicine and sleep only went so far. Maybe he could get her to eat as well.

She spoke as she gazed at the orange and yellow sky. "How did you do it?"

"Huh?"

"Distract her."

"Oh," he swallowed. "I just talked to her. She didn't want to be alone."

Thea carefully laid her head against him in between his shoulder and neck. He felt her breath on his skin as she breathed. "Does she know about her… parent?"

Levy rubbed her hands on her arms. Her eyes met his and she gave a shake of her head. "She's not even potty trained. Wendy is bent on teaching her."

He gave her a quizzical glance. "Wendy is too young to be here for a medical program."

"She's a surgeon's daughter, brought here for her summer break. She wanted the experience for her scholarship to one of the Ivy League colleges for pre-med. Her and her mother had gotten separated during the explosion, and the helicopters had taken her mother. Wendy clung to me after."

Now things were beginning to make some sense. The sun was fully over the horizon, the warming rays washing the dark sky away to the west. Thea's steady breathing indicated that she was asleep. Gajeel stirred in his spot when he gained consciousness that he was watching the sunrise with a woman he couldn't deny as appealing. He was also aware that the two weren't as hostile. Though he was sure _that_ would start up again. "Well, I'm gonna put her back to bed."

The bluenette at his side felt him leave, though she kept her eyes on the brightening sky. They threatened to spill with tears that had slowly gathered. She hadn't purposely said anything else. Her mind was remembering too many things to sort out. It was easier to keep them and her rushing emotions locked away. She placed a hand on the top of her round stomach. Or she'd end up with even more regrets.

She glanced over her shoulder towards the curtain through which the Marine had disappeared.


End file.
